Piston-ring expanding and contracting pliers



Aug. 21, 1928.

R. D. DOUGLASS PISTON RING EXfANDING AND CONTRACTING PLIERS Original Filed July 5, 192:5

Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

ROY D. nouenAss, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

PISTON-RING EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING PLIERS.

.Application filed July 5, 1923, Serial No. 649,767. Renewed January 20, 1928.

My present invention has for its object to provide an extremely simple and highly eliicient tool kit for use in connection with cylinder pistons and their rings, and includes a pair or pliershaving interchangeably usable tips with work-engaging lips of different shapes for use in holding and expandingpiston rings of variousmakes, shapes and designs while inserting the same over pistons and into their ring grooves or in removing the same therefrom, and for use in removing carbon from the ring grooves before placingv the piston rings therein. i

The kit furtner provides contractible bands of different lengths adapted-tobe contracted by said pliers around pistons, to hold the pistons while inserting the same into cylinders, at either end'thereof, for successively contracting their rings in the grooves to cause thesame to enter the cylinders withthe pistons. v

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consistsof thenovel devices and combinations or" devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims. i g

In the accompanying drawings,which il lustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. A M Referring to the drawings: Z I Fig. 1 is a plan View of the pliers as used in expanding apiston ring iii-respect to a piston; .3 H

Figs. 2 to 8, inclusive, are perspective views of the interchangeably usable tips for the pliers; j j Fig. 9 is a detail'view in section taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 1; I v 10 is a plan view oi one of the contracting bands spread out fiat; U

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showin the pliers as used in. contracting one or the bands around piston for holding the same and contracting its rings to cause the same to enter a cylinder with the piston; and

Fig. 12 is a side view of one of the contracting bands and pliers having a different set of tips from that shown in Fig. 11, some parts being shown in difi'erent positions by means of broken lines.

Forthe purpose of illustrating certain of the different uses of the improved tool kit,

there is illustrated in the drawings, a cylinder block 13 havinga plurality of cylinders 1 1 and pistons 15, only one of which is shown. This piston 15 is provided with a plurality of ring grooves 16, in each of which is mounted a piston ring 17, the ends of which are obliquely cut. i 'As previously stated, the improved tool kit includes a pair of pliers comprising a pair of handle-equipped jaws 18 pivotally connected at 19 to open when the handles are pressed toward each other. A spring 20, held by the pivot 19 and reacting against the handles of the pliers,is under strain to yieldingly close the jaws 18. Thefree ends of the jaws 18 have sleeve-like holders21 which, at their outer ends, have integral rctaining lips 22'which project away from each other, at the outer faces of said holders. Cutand pressed from the outer faces of the jaws 18, at the inner ends of the holders 21, are inset stops 23.

(lo-operating pairs of interchangeably usable tips are removably mounted in. the holders 21, and which tips have work-en gaging lips of diitleront shapes, as shownin Figs. 2 to S, inclusive. The bodies of the dili'erent tips are all alike, to wit: channel shaped in cross section, and are of such size as' to freely enter the holders 21 by an endw se slid ng mov'enient until positioned by thestop s .23.

Referring now in detail tolthedilferent tips, as showninyl igs. 2 to 8, inclusive,tl'1e pairof tips shown in Fig, 2 areindicated by the nu neral 2t, and each thereof, on its sides,-isprovidedewith a pair of forwardly projecting. work-engaging lips 25,;These work-engaging lips 9.5]are. arranged. to en-.

go the obliquely cut endsof the piston rings 17, as shownby full lines in Fig. 1 and by dotted lines in Fig. 2, andqsccurely hold the same while; expandin the ringzby means oil. the pli To permit thistype tips to be inter. .d with the obliquely cut ends of the piston ring 17, when removying said ring from its rin groove in h a 31s ton, it is only necessary to press the ring into the ring groove, at a. point diametri cally opposite the ends oitsaid ring to cause said ends to be projected outward of the ring groove.

In Fig. 3 the pair of tips is indicated by the numeral 26, and each thereof has integrally formed with its sides apair of laterally spaced work-engaging lips 27 having obliquely cut ends. This type of tips is designed for use in holding andexpand ing piston rings known as having a right step cut to form the overlapping'ends thereof.

Fig. 4 shows apair of tips 28 having work-engaging lips 29' that ide ti alwith the work-engaging lips 27 with the 6X- ception that they are arrangedto hold and expand a piston ring having a left step out to form the overlapping ends thereof.

The tips 30 shown in Fig. 5 are each provided with a pair of work-engaginglips 31 and 32-, the former of which are straight and the latter of which are in the form of out standing hooks. Each pair of work-engage ing lips 31 and 32 are reversely formed from theother pair thereof. These work-engaging lips 31 and 32 are especially designed for holding and expanding piston rings of the type known as Gill, Kelly and Burd.

In'Fig. 6 the tips 38 haveforwardly projecting worlgengaging lips 341;, the outer faces ofwhi'ch are slightly concave for holdin'g andexpanding piston rings or the type known as Hess and Panyard. I g i In Fig.7 is shown a pair of tips 35 having hoolnlike work-engaging lips 36, especially designed for a purpose that ently appear.

The improved tool kit is also provided with a plurality of contracting bands identical the one with the'other except as to length, and only one of which is shown in the drawings. This contracting hand 37 has at oneend a longitudinal slot 38, and at its'other end a contracted neck portion 39. In the outer end of the slot 38 is formed an apertureAO, and in the other end "of said band,'outward of the neck 39, is formed an aperture tl. The hand 37 is ada-pt ed'to be ield' in annular formation by inserting its neck portion39 through the slot'3S which permits the band to be contracted onto a piston by separating the ends thereof. To thus contract the band 37,the pliers are used, and when room permits,'the retaining lips 22 thereof are inserted into the apertures 41-0 and i1, as shown in Fig- 11,and the band contracted bypressmg the handles ofthe pliers together. When placing a piston in the lower end of a cylinder or when working in any other inaccessible place, the

tips 35 may be inserted into the holder 21 will pr'es- I lips 36 inserted into the apertures and tlwhile the pliers are held, as shown by full and broken linesinhlig m, or in any other intermediate position. I

, Obviously, when the pliers have their jaws interlocked with the ends of the band 87, said band may be very tightly contracted around a piston to hold the same while inserting the piston into a cylinder and for contracting the piston rings in their ring grooves to permit the same to freelyentcr the cylinder with the piston." I

It is, of course, understood that the tips may be for-med with different work-engag ing lips, depending upon the kind ofpiston ring to be held and expanded. i

For the purpose of removing carbon from a ring groove before inserting a ring there in, I provide a'pair of tips 42 havingworle. engaging lips which project outwardly and toward each other forscra'ping the bot- 7 tom and'sides' of said groove while the jaws of the pliers are held open and by either rotating the piston or movingthe pliers so that the work-engaging lips t3 will move circumferentially' over the bottom of the groove or sides thereof.

The above described invention has been put-into extensive commercial use, and has proven highly efficient for the purpose had to hee ngaged bythe tips to limit their movement into the holders,

' 4. The structure defined in claim '1 H1 whichsa d holders have integral ,outturned' lips."

7 Born. DoUGLAss.

in testimony whereof I aiiix my, signature. 

